Kobe Bryant vs. Derek Jeter: It's No Comparison

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Dear Henry,
      As the madness of Kobe Bryant's last game wears off, I wanted to share a few reflections. For those of my thousands upon thousands of readers across the vast expanse of the universe who perhaps do not follow the NBA, let me provide some background: At the beginning of this year, Kobe Bryant, undoubtedly one of the greatest NBA basketball players of all time, announced that he would be retiring after the season. Since his announcement, every game he played was part of a grand farewell tour, where people flocked to the games to watch his lousy team play. Fans from all over the country gave him thunderous ovations, acknowledging their appreciation for his contribution to the game of basketball. This week, as his final game approached, Kobe was the talk of the World. His nickname is the Black Mamba, and Twitter declared yesterday, April 13, his last game, to be #MambaDay. Kobe was the talk of all the Sports Talk Shows in the country.
     What I wanted to write to you about today though, is not about Kobe's career. Nor is it about how I personally find the whole Farewell Tour concept that he embraced to be distasteful, as it removes the focus from his team, and places it squarely on himself (in contrast, by the way, with how Peyton Manning walked away from the game.) What I wanted to write, oh Henry, is about a tweet I saw earlier in the week from the one and only Skip Bayless. Skip excitedly announced to his 1.8 million followers that on his show, The First Take, he would be debating with Stephen A Smith on the topic of who had a better career: Kobe Bryant, or Derek Jeter. Upon reading this seemingly innocent inconspicuous tweet, I felt a little bit of my Wheaties start to come up in my mouth. I thought to myself how Skip apparently did not read my brilliant masterpiece blogg about Snoop Dogg. I thought to myself, how truthfully, we can never compare any two people because everyone is so different and has such a unique set of life circumstances. BUT, if we do compare athletes, perhaps it would make sense to compare athletes in the same sport. And if we do compare athletes in the same sport, perhaps it makes sense to compare athletes who play the same position. And if we do compare athletes who play the same position, it makes sense to compare athletes who played in the same era. Thus, perhaps it would make sense to compare Kobe Bryant, a shooting guard, to other great shooting guards in the league at the time, like Dwayne Wade, or maybe even Michael Jordan, who briefly overlapped with Kobe. That, oh Henry, kind of makes sense,
      But to compare Kobe to Derek Jeter? Why do we need to do that? Can't we be content with the notion that they were both legendary athletes in their respective sports? Why can't that be good enough? Why do we need to compare apples with oranges, pickles with ground beef, and pianos with the beautiful tulips in my garden ? Each athlete had a unique role on his respective team, each won five championships, each was enormously successful. Do we say that Kobe was the better athlete since he could nail the three pointer better than Jeter could, or do we say Jeter was better because could snag a ground ball coming to him at short stop? What on earth am I missing? Why do we always have to be comparing people to each other? Why can't we just stop and appreciate each person's inherent worth in and of itself? Why can't we suffice to stop and acknowledge the impact each player had on his own team and sport?
      We need to stop comparing ourselves to others, and we need to stop comparing others to others. Every human being is unique and has a totally unique purpose in this world. We need to hope that each person realizes his/her mission, and becomes the best him/her that he can be. As I alluded to above, and as I quoted on these pages in February, we need to follow the example of Snoop Dogg: We "got to be doin' me. I don't know how to do nobody but me. It's hard doin' you but I could do me very well." 
      As a life long fan of sports, I am tremendously grateful that Kobe Bryant did Kobe Bryant and that Derek Jeter did Derek Jeter. We sports fans could not have asked for anything more.

Forever yours,
Danny Wolfe

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Rabbi by Night, Crime Fighter by Day: A Gripping Tale of Keeping our Streets Safe

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Dear Henry,
       Now that Peyton Manning has retired, I think I will begin referring to you, once again, as Henry.
I wanted to tell you , oh Henry, and my thousands upon thousands upon thousands of readers across the vast expanse of the Universe about my most recent Monday. You see, Henry, a lot of people think that I am just a simple Western, rap appreciating rabbi, and family man. This is true. However, if someone were to attach those labels to me, they would be selling me short. Because in addition to being a rabbi and family man, I am a crime-fighter dedicated to keeping our streets safe. Heck, I am a husky, mean, crime fighting machine.
       And to be totally honest Henry, my crime fighting career did not start this past Monday. It actually started during my short tenure living in Washington Heights. On one occasion, I heard my BFFEEE having a conversation outside my window at around 12:30 AM. Assuming he was getting mugged, I picked up my hammer, and came to his aid. As G-d's providence had it, it happened to be that he was not being mugged, but rather being given directions by a tremendously righteous Hasidic rabbi.
      A few short months later someone made the mistake of stealing my umbrella while I went to pick up my wife before heading out to the A Train. Needless to say, I got that umbrella back. Since then, my crime fighting days have been limited.
      And that brings us to Monday. Usually on Mondays we have a staff meeting at the office at 12:00 PM sharp. However, on this particular Monday, we ended up getting a late start. Usually the Better Half stays for the meeting. However, after my baby woke up, the Better Half decided to head home before the meeting with the baby. And that is when she saw some suspicious activity. You see Henry, as my wife was pulling out of the office she spotted two individuals stretching. Now, if we were at a park, or a bike path, or a football stadium, that would seem normal. But we were on the intersection of two busy streets. She called me and alerted me of the activity, and I took a look for myself. Sure enough, they looked like they were gearing up for a rigorous exercise of fence jumping and running. At this point in time, two memories popped into my head like a cherry pop tart pops out of the toaster. The first memory I had were the posters I constantly saw in my days riding the New York City Subway: If you see something, say something. The second memory I had was reading about a slew of home break ins specifically in the neighborhood I saw these individuals walking to. With those two vivid memories in mind, I told the Better Half to call the Police. And by golly, its a good thing we did, because when they returned to the car with a backpack filled of stolen goods, the Cops were there to greet them. You see, at TJE we don't just educate; we keep our streets safe.
       In analyzing this incident I tried to come to an understanding of how this incident provides us profound wisdom for life. And I think the first, very important lesson is that we are meant to live our lives with our eyes wide open, observant to the world around us. Every morning while passing the cherry blossoms, do I stop to admire them, or do I just walk past them, oblivious to everything around me? When frolicking in a Kansas meadow do I look down to savor the dandelions, or I frolic right over them as if they were not even there? As the great Rabbi Avigdor Miller once observed, " If the happiness of life passes by unnoticed, it also passes by un-enjoyed."  G-d gave us a magnificent world that, if ever we stopped to appreciate, we would be rendered speechless.
        Another profound life lesson that emerges from all of this is what we call Hashgacha Pratis: G-d is running the world in a very deliberate, purposeful fashion. Yes, at the time it was a little annoying we were starting the meeting late. Yes, it was a bummer my littlest Princess was waking up before the meeting started, promising a difficult meeting ahead. Yes, I was depressed the Better Half was leaving and I wouldn't be able to spend the next hour with her. But if not for one of those factors--those apparent 'coincidences,' these criminals would still be on our streets, robbing our homes. As the famous quote goes, "coincidences are G-d's way of remaining anonymous."
       Additionally, the mantra "If you see something, say something" has a place in (some) of our daily interactions. To apply it to our daily lives, I would emend it to "If you see something good, say something!" For example, if I come home, and supper is on the table, I can A) assume the Better Half is a prophetess and knows how grateful I am for the scrumptious supper she worked so hard to make for me, or, B) I can say thank you to her for her love, time and effort in taking care of me. We can assume people know our warm fuzzy feelings about them, or we can go ahead and tell them, and acknowledge their hard work on our behalf. I can assume that my colleagues know how grateful I am for their help, or I can tell them.
     
         Forever Yours,
         Danny Wolfe

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Shul

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Dear Peyton,
      I first feel the need to apologize to my thousands upon thousands of readers world-wide for not writing for a long time. To be totally honest, I have been too busy basking in the orange and blue glow of the aftermath of the Broncos Super Bowl Victory to feel compelled to write a new blogg post. But that all changed this morning. Because a funny thing happened on the way to synagogue. You see, dear Peyton, it was about 6:29 AM this morning, and as I hurriedly got out of my car,  my jaw dropped. I could not help but notice one of the most magnificent sunrises in recent memory. Usually when I observe a sunrise, I focus on the sun making its entrance into the vast sky from the Eastern Horizon. But today, as I was naturally headed west-bound as I approached my shul, I was looking at the western part of the sky, which contained one of the most beautiful clouds I have ever seen in my life. I was glad I had my camera handy, and I snapped a few pictures, and went on my way to my daily morning meeting with G-d.
      During my meeting with G-d I was able to reflect on an incredibly profound lesson from that experience. The first thing I realized was how grateful I was that I was awake to witness that surreal sunrise. And I thought to myself that, as a result of my being awake every morning, I pretty regularly am able to bask at the beauty of the vast colorful Colorado morning sky. And I thought to myself, how bad I feel for all of those people who never get to experience this because they are sleeping, or inside, or are otherwise too busy. And I realized, that unfortunately, this is a phenomenon that occurs in many other spheres of our lives. How many times do we miss out on a profound experience because we were either sleeping or too busy distracted with something else? I am embarrassed to admit how many times my Better Half has called my attention to something ridiculously cute my baby was doing, which I had been missing until that point because I was reading about how Marshawn Lynch has been spending his retirement rapping on camels in Egypt, (for more on Marshawn check this out), some absurd comments Donald Trump had made, or what he was tweeting about chockers and "little Marcio."
      I also reflected how, ironically, sometimes we miss out on experiences because we are too busy trying to capture them. I specifically remember this past summer, as I was hiking near a magnificent waterfall in the Golan Heights in Israel. I deliberately left my phone on the bus, so as not to risk breaking it. As we came out of the hike after a late afternoon swim in a natural spring of water, we were treated to a surreal Bronco orange and blue sunset. I instinctively tried to grab my phone to snap some pictures, but quickly remembered my phone was on the bus. With no other choice, I stopped what I was doing, and admired G-d's masterful handiwork. I experienced His magnificent sunset. And it was specifically because I do not have any pictures of that sunset, that I will remember it vividly for the rest of my life.
     All of us have the opportunity to experience profoundly magnificent events every day of our lives. The question is if we will wake up, and actually do so.

Forever Yours,
Danny Wolfe

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Life Lessons from Snoop: We are all Broncos

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Dear Peyton,

         If ever Snoop Dogg, formerly "Snoop Lion" and "Snoop Doggy Dogg"decides to quit the rap game, he would do quite well to consider a career as a sports reporter. To call a spade a spade, Snoop was simply brilliant today in his reporting for the Rich Eisen Show. His question to Peyton Manning about trying to obtain a fifty percent discount at Papa John's was on point, as was his question whether or not Peyton consults with his legendary family members who also played the quarterback position. What's the secret to Snoop's success as a reporter? Said Snoop, profoundly, "Me, doin' me, I don't know how to do no body but me. Its hard doin' you but I could do me very well."

         How deep and wise these words are. Despite the fact that there are about seven billion people on this planet, not one of them is the same as me. I am totally unique; I have a unique physical appearance, unique opinions, unique thoughts and a unique role. No two individuals on this planet are the same, and this is as G-d intended it. Yet so often, people spend their lives trying to be people that they are not. They look around at other people around them, and say, "if only I had a house as big as Patricia has, I would be soooo happy! Or if only I could be outgoing like Rosemary, everything would be better in my life!"

        This attitude is a recipe for a life filled with misery. In order to live a true meaningful life we need to get to know ourselves very well, and be the best us that we can be. G-d gave each and everyone of us unique talents and character traits. It is our job in the 120 years we are on this earth to cultivate those talents and traits and to fulfill our unique G-d given mission in this world. Just like it would have been absurd for Snoop to try to approach his interviews as if he was Al Michaels, it would be equally absurd if I approached my life as if I was anyone other than Daniel Martin Wolfe. The Broncos are not going to win the Super Bowl because they all are trying to be Peyton Manning. They are going to win the Super Bowl because they all understand that they have a unique role and mission on the team. We too, must understand that we are all Broncos in the ultimate game of life. If we understand our mission and our strengths, just like the Broncos, we will thrive beyond belief. 

Forever Yours,

Danny Wolfe

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We can all Win the Powerball

Dear Peyton,

      I admittedly purchased a Powerball ticket two days ago after filling up my gas tank with some pure, cheap, Rocky Mountain gasoline. As I looked to my left at the gas station I noticed they were advertising selling Powerball tickets. At the time the winner was promised one billion dollars. I thought to myself, while it is true and undeniable that my odds in winning are about one in three hundred million, what the heck, if the Almighty wants me to win, I sure as heck will.

     And then, naturally I started contemplating what I would do with a cool billion in my pocket. Would I quit my job and travel the world? Would we move to Israel on the spot? Would I donate all my money to saving the whales? But then I thought more about it and I realized that I wouldn't do anything drastic. I love my job, so I wouldn't be going anywhere, and my family and I are very happy people so we wouldn't be making any abrupt changes. I would keep it simple, pay off my mortgage, and college loans, buy a second car and install a garage into my house. I probably would also buy a home in Israel that we'd visit for the holidays each year, and that would basically be it. 

      After fantasizing about these luxuries for a few minutes I reflected on an incredible lecture I have heard several times by a friend and mentor named Rabbi M. Rabbi M speaks at great length about the topic of happiness and how fortunate we are living in this world. For example if G-d forbid I was blind, but had the opportunity to pay for an expensive surgery to restore my sight, what dollar amount would that be worth for me?  Would I pay a million? Ten million? More?

Or if someone offered me fifty million dollars for the opportunity to remove my eyes would I take it? After all, I could then afford to go travel and explore the world. But is it worth being able to forfeit my eyes for the sake of traveling the world if I cannot see the landscape that I am exploring? Or if someone offered me millions of dollars for my two legs, would I sell them? Would it be worth it?
Or how about someone in need of my two kidneys? Would I give them both up, for a few million dollars if it meant I would have to live my life going through dialysis, being unable to process waste on my own? Or what if G-d forbid a person was suffering through a life threatening illness, and only a 75 million dollar surgery could save his life? If he wasn't blessed with having the 75 million dollars, how far would a person go to come up with those funds? And if he was blessed with those 75 million dollars, would he decide it wasn't worth giving up the 75 million to save his life?
      The Torah teaches, "Who is rich? The one who is happy with his lot." It thus emerges, dear Peyton, that with only a little thought exercise, we can come to an appreciation for how unbelievably rich and blessed each and everyone of us are. The mere fact that we are alive is worth hundreds of millions to us, how much more so if G-d has blessed us with sight, hearing, use of our limbs, a body that processes waste, the ability to walk, a loving family or community? If G-d blesses me with a billion and a half dollars, there is no doubt, I will be one happy man. However let's not kid ourselves; I don't need to win this silly lottery to be able to bask in the immense wealth with which G-d has blessed me.

Forever yours,
Danny Wolfe

Don't be Caught with your Wheels over the Line: A Gripping Tale of how Justice was Served on Speer Boulevard

Dear Peyton,            
       One gorgeous autumn afternoon in the most glorious city this side of Jerusalem, two and a half weeks ago, my Better Half, adorably delicious baby, and myself embarked on the return trip home after a lovely weekend in Vail, Colorado. We had the privilege of attending The Jewish Experience Shabbos Project retreat in Vail, and we were all incredibly inspired. My parents were kind enough to watch my other three children for 48 hours, and on this particular Sunday afternoon we were excited to be reunited with our children. As I got off the highway, about twenty minutes away from home, I called my Pops to tell him that we would be arriving shortly. During this short phone conversation, which is legal to have while driving in Colorado, I noticed a yellow light. Being the cautious, vigilant, excellent driver I am, I decided that I was going to go ahead and stop at the Yellow light, so as not to run the light. To my shock, and profound displeasure, I noticed the traffic light snapped my picture. I was not upset because I was concerned I was having a bad hair day; balding people in their thirties like myself don't have bad hair days. I was not even concerned that I wasn't looking good, exceedingly handsome individuals like myself always look good. I was upset because I was suspicious that this camera would send the picture to the Police, who would mistakenly think I ran the red light, which I most certainly DID NOT do. I turned to my wife to tell her to remind me that I did not in fact run the light, but she was sleeping more soundly then a African Zebra after a long day galloping in the meadowy Zimbabwean Safari. I thought to myself, shucks, if the Better Half is sleeping, I am going to have to remember this myself. "Note to self; you will probably get a letter in a week from the Denver PD accusing you falsely of running the light. Remember Dann-o, when you get that letter fight it, because right now you are are waiting for the light to turn green, just like all the other cars are waiting. After the light turned green, I promptly forgot about the whole episode as I got lost in my thoughts trying to figure out what I would be doing for the remainder of this afternoon given the fact that the Broncos had a Bye week.

Ten Days Later
As I casually strolled into my house for a lunch break on yet another fantastically beautiful Denver fall day, I couldn't help but smile as I was greeted by my adoring Better Half and my three youngest children. The salad The Better Half so lovingly prepared was waiting for me on the table. And that's precisely when I noticed it. I noticed a particular shiny white envelop sticking out in the mail box. I dramatically tiptoed over to see what it was. It looked serious, so I opened it. And to my dismay, the letter was a casual reminder about that fateful day ten days earlier. I looked inside and was shocked to see they wanted me to pay a forty dollar ticket! "That's absurd, thought I, I DIDN'T run the light!" And then I read that the ticket was not for running the light, it was for having my front wheels over the white line at a stop light/cross walk. And then I looked, and sure enough they got my photograph, showing, beyond reasonable doubt that I was guilty as charged, my two front tires were over the white line. I thought I would call anyways to plead my case; after all, I did NOT run the light! I called. And there was a recorded message which said, "Before we transfer you to anyone, please be aware that if your wheels crossed the white line, that is a violation of Colorado driving code of conduct and you will be ticketed for that heinous offense. Good day." I realized I didn't stand a chance. Pleading ignorance wouldn't help, for it was my responsibility to know the law. I dejectedly, ashamedly, hung up the phone, resigned to my bitter fate.

         The Talmud in Tractate Avos, or Ethics of Our Fathers relates the following, profoundly powerful teaching: "Know what is above you: an Eye that sees, an Ear that hears, and all of our actions are recorded in a book." The simple understanding of this passage is that as Jews we are ultimately held accountable for our actions. We are not free to act in any way we please; at the end of the day we have to take responsibility for our behaviors, and we need to remember that G-d is vividly aware of our every action. After a person takes leave of this world, we are taught, a person reviews a recording of his life, and he signs off that everything he saw is in fact true, exactly as it happened. The evidence is presented in a very clear manner.
      Seeing my car's two front wheels over the line demonstrated this concept in a powerful manner. We must never forget, that everything we do in this world has enormous significance; every action brings with it eternal ramifications. We cannot be caught with our wheels over the line. There's simply too much at stake.

Forever yours,
Danny Wolfe

Why I am Gearing up for a Royal Celebration: an Open Letter to Mets Fans

Dear Met fans everywhere,

      A lot of my thousands upon thousands of readers across the vast expanse of the planet have been asking me, somewhat upset, why it is I am so avidly rooting on the Kansas City Royals this World Series. I have spent many years in New York, and many people I greatly admire are die hard Mets fans. Additionally, inasmuch as the same folks rooting on the Royals also root for the hated Kansas City Cheifs, it is a fair question. 

      Let me begin by acknowledging that I admire you Mets fans to no end. As a life long fan of the most disgraceful franchise in sports, the Colorado Rockies, I can relate to what you have gone through the last 20 years: year after year watching a pathetic team finish close to last place. But my admiration for you goes deeper than that. You could have just as easily jumped on the Yankee band wagon all those years. But you didn't. You remained loyal to your lousy Mets. Loyalty is a huge thing. And I appreciate it; I really do. In fact, if the Mets were playing the Yankees, I would root hard for the Mets. If they played the Rangers, the Angels, or the White Sox, I would take the Mets. There is one team from the American League, and one team only, that I would root for to beat the Mets; and that is the Kansas City Royals.
      Last night, as I left synagogue, I heard one person say, "I don't care who wins; I can guarantee you they don't care about me; why should I care about them?" I have heard this refrain from people who don't care for sports on more than one occasion. And I hear it. Why do so many millions of us allow our moods and happiness level be determined by a group of talented dudes who don't give a darn about is? How does that make any sense?
     The thing is, dear Peyton, and you Mets fans everywhere, when it comes to the Royals, this logic simply doesn't apply. Because they do care about me. When my family moved from New York to Denver, my then six month old daughter got very sick on the road. We had to stop for a scary, long, ten day stay at the hospital in downtown Kansas City. (For more on this read http://rabbidannywolfe.blogspot.com/2015/07/a-plea-to-g-d-on-rosh-chodesh-av.html)
And on the fifth day we were there, as I was leaving to drive to Denver to take care of my other three children, I saw the Kansas City Royals posing for pictures at the front of the hospital. About 15 minutes later my wife called, and said, The Royals are here visiting, should I have them come see our baby? "OF COURSE YOU SHOULD YOU SILLY GOOSE" was my immediate reply.  I was so touched by them taking the time to visit my daughter, fulfilling a very special mitzvah we call bikur cholim, visiting the sick, that I stopped at the first gas station I found and spent ten dollars on a Royals hat. My wife called me a few hours later and told me two fellows named Mike Moustakis and Jason Vargas came by, and they left a signed hat for my daughter, who despite being only 9 months old, and despite living in Denver now, is also an avid Royals fan.
      In yesterday's Torah reading we read how G-d paid Abraham a little visit while Abraham was recovering from the exceedingly painful circumcision. We see from here that visiting the sick is not just a good thing to do: It is emulating G-d Himself. Those who visit the sick are G-d like. 
Additionally, in Hebrew, the word for "Jews" is Yehudim. It means "grateful ones." We believe that we are required to show hakaras hatov, or recognition of good (ie gratitude) for every good deed performed for us. It is not just a nice thing to do, it is our duty. Conversely, when someone does something good for us, and we don't acknowledge the favor, that is a bad thing. When G-d created Eve for Adam as a life partner with whom to share his life, and to perpetuate humanity, G-d performed for him an enormous kindness. And yet when G-d asked Adam why he ate from the fruit that he was not allowed to eat in the Garden of Eden, Adam blamed his wife, Eve, saying, "it was the woman you gave to me who made me eat it." This was the first example in history of a person being an ingrate, and Adam is ultimately punished for it.
       To put it very simply, when someone showers us with a kind act, we are obligated to be grateful. Therefore, it is not my choice whether or not to root for the Royals; it is my duty. Tonight, when they win the Series in 5 games I, along with my 9 month old daughter will be engaging in a Royal Celebration.

Forever yours,
Danny Wolfe